<p>Hey CC! I just finished my junior year and have not gone on any college visits yet. Ideally this summer would be the best time to go look at the colleges that are on my radar come application time, but due to some difficulties my family ran into, it looks like college visits might remain a dream. I might be able to go to a few colleges in my state, Illinois, yet the top colleges (like the ivy's) are too far out of my reach. My question is how important are college visits to my chances of getting in? Will my interview suffer as a result of my inability to answer thorough questions about the school itself since I haven't gone on a tour? Is there a record of who attends college visits that shows dedication and would boost his or her app? Any feedback would be more than helpful! Thanks in advance.</p>
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Some colleges take demonstrated interest into account, some don’t. You can find out by looking at their Common Data Set filing. There are other ways to demonstrate interest, like talking with them at a college fair.</p>
<p>Also even if you can’t visit the schools you want to apply to, you ought to at least visit schools of different types in your area. Large, small, urban, rural, etc. To get a flavor of what they are like. Summer is not the ideal time to visit. You’ll see the well-kept grounds and famous buildings, but what makes a school are the students and the class experience. At the very least I’d suggest visiting schools of different types in your area at the end of summer when they are back in session. </p>
<p>Some colleges track “demonstrated interest” and others don’t. But all colleges understand that not every applicant is able to fly around the country visiting schools. Do other things to learn about the schools such as trying to go to a local college fair and meeting the admission officer (or at least signing in,those events can be really crowded), get on the mailing ist, attend a presentation if the school gives one in your area, going through guide books, reading the website in detail etc. Some schools have online tours as well. Id email the school, express your interest, let them know you won’t be able to visit before you apply and arrange for a local interview. (often with an alumni).</p>
<p>@happy1 and @mikemac thank you for the advice! I definitely will check out the different types of colleges in order to figure out which feel right to me. </p>